The list, obviously, is subjective. All the number-crunching in the world will not tell you whether Gianluigi Buffon is better than Samuel Eto'o. Their functions are so different it is like trying to decide whether you prefer an orange or a tin opener.

We basically picked the team using the playground system. If all the players in the world were lined up and you had to pick them to play a match, in what order would a 'team captain' select them?

Our fictional playground captains are not trying to build an actual team, they are just picking the best player available. So there is no effort to balance players from every position.

In our estimation, good attackers win more matches than good defenders. They are the ones who command the big transfer fees, they are the ones who people pay to watch, and they are the ones who win the individual awards.

So we make no apology that the list is weighted in favour of attacking midfielders and strikers. No matter how much you admire Jamie Carragher's contribution to Liverpool, you would never say he was a better or more important player than Steven Gerrard or Fernando Torres. The list reflects this.

Form is crucial. There are players who missed out on a top-50 place who might have been in the top 10 last year, but have seen their stock fall either through injury or poor form. There is no doubt Ronaldinho is a stunningly talented player, but we could not say - on current form - he is one of the 50 best in the world.

Age is irrelevant. Players are judged entirely on their current ability, not their potential. A 35-year-old is not marked down because he is at the end of his career, and an 18-year-old does not get extra credit because of the player he is expected to become. Only one thing matters - how good is the player now?

Saturday, August 1, 2009

* Began professional career with London club Fulham in 1950 and also played for Midlands club West Bromwich Albion and the Vancouver Royals of the North American Soccer League.

* First called up to England squad in 1956, and managed 20 appearances scoring four times.

MANAGEMENT DEBUT

* Began at Fulham, before moving to Ipswich Town at the end of the 1960s, where he stayed until 1982 and was named honorary president in 2006.

* Won the 1978 FA Cup trophy and the 1981 UEFA Cup at Portman Road, earning him plaudits and the England manager's post in 1982 after Ron Greenwood was sacked.

* Started poorly, failing to qualify for the 1984 European championships.

* Took the team to the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, where Argentine Diego Maradona infamously pulled off the 'Hand of God' as England lost 2-0.

* Knocked out of Euro 1988 but enjoyed success at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, guiding England to the semi-finals only to lose on penalties to West Germany.

FORAY INTO EUROPE

* Began at PSV Eindhoven immediately after the World Cup, winning back-to-back Dutch championships in 1991 and 1992.

* Moved to Sporting Lisbon in 1992, where his interpreter was Jose Mourinho, though was sacked in 1994 and moved to Portuguese rivals Porto with Mourinho as his assistant.

* Repeated the same feat by winning the Portuguese championship in 1995 and 1996.

* The Anglo-Portuguese duo moved to Spanish giants Barcelona later that year, where Robson signed the Brazilian Ronaldo and won three trophies in his first season; the Spanish Super Cup, the Copa del Rey and the Cup Winners' Cup.

RETURN TO ENGLAND

* Managed Newcastle from 1999-2004, winning his first home match in charge 8-0 against Sheffield Wednesday, striker Alan Shearer running riot with five goals.

* Took Newcastle to fourth in the Premier League (2002) and third the following year, but despite Champions League football no success came and Newcastle instead reached the semi-finals of the 2004 UEFA Cup.

* Robson was knighted in 2002.

BATTLING CANCER

* First diagnosed with cancer in 1992 while at PSV.

* Three years later doctors found a malignant melanoma when Robson was at Porto.

* Not until 2006 did cancer strike Robson again, in his lungs. Had a tumour removed from his brain leaving him with partial paralysis.